Briefly
Off Campus Books says goodbye
By all accounts, it’s been a long time coming, but employees of Off Campus Books got the official word this week: the bookstore is closing. It was announced on a hand-written note taped to the window: “Sorry for the confusion, but we will only being doing wholesale buyback. We are not sure how long will be will be buying, so sell now.”
Off Campus Books employees said that even they are not sure when the door will close for the final time. The store appeared to be limping along for the last few months, with empty shelves and sparse patronage. Owner Ron Tinsley, who could not be reached for comment, has closed several of his bookstores in other college towns.
County hires temp head for Development Services
After nearly eight weeks of interviewing and haggling, the Board of Supervisors has finally hired an interim department head for its beleaguered Department of Development Services. Tom Buford, a Sacramento lawyer who specializes in environmental and zoning laws, accepted the job last week. He’ll be paid $95 an hour for his six-month contract, according to county records.
The department has been leaderless since April 13, when the Board fired Tom Parilo in a much-publicized closed session vote. While the department has a head for now, Buford’s position is really only a temporary fix. The board has yet to hire a permanent replacement for Parilo.
Woman reports attempted rape in park
A Chico woman reported that a masked man tried to rape her as she was standing on the bike bridge over Big Chico Creek in upper Bidwell Park on March 14. The assault occurred at about 9 a.m. near just off South Park Drive. The assailant grabbed the woman, pulled her off the bridge and threw her to the ground. She put up a fight and he ran away, police reported.
The suspect was described as a white male, wearing a black trench coat, shirt and ski mask, and naked from the waist down. Anyone with information should call the police at 895-4920.
Deadbeat moms arrested for Mother’s Day
Apparently testing the what’s good for the goose is good for the gander theory, Butte County District Attorney investigators rounded up a half-dozen mothers who allegedly hadn’t paid their state-mandated child support May 11. The women, some of whom reportedly owed back child support that totaled $110,000, were arrested in what DA Mike Ramsey termed a “Mother’s Day sweep.”
He pointed out that each Father’s Day, his office arrests some of the county’s top deadbeat dads for failing to pay child support, and wanted to give women equal treatment. All the women arrested were booked into Butte County Jail, with the exception of one who now lives in Alabama. She will be brought back to California to face the charges, Ramsey noted.
